2 Plans Given For Hampton Armory

HAMPTON — One proposal would make the downtown building a music venue. The other would make it a gymnastics center.

Two local business teams are competing for the right to buy and renovate the 1930s-era National Guard Armory in downtown Hampton.

Under one option, the 13,000-square-foot structure would become a live music venue similar to The NorVa in Norfolk. Under the other, it would be converted into a gymnastics center.

The city of Hampton owns the building, on North King Street near Pembroke Avenue. For years, it has used the cavernous space to store cast-off items like old desks, bicycles and outdated electronics.

But it appears the building's days as a warehouse are numbered.

Wednesday, Hampton's economic development director, James Eason, will review the dueling development plans with the City Council. One of them will arrive with his department's seal of approval. A vote by council members will come later.

"Everybody wants the project to move forward," Eason said. "Council will give us direction, then we'll finish up with the chosen developer. But that could take several more months."

Councilman Randy Gilliland is particularly excited about the idea of creating a concert hall downtown. "In my opinion, it fits perfectly with the downtown master plan," Gilliland said. "We're trying to attract the new urbanite. The people who are going to live in condos downtown are the kind who will be looking for entertainment options."

Mark Hollingsworth, a Hampton investment adviser, developed the concert-venue scheme. He's lined up financing, picked a renovation contractor and recruited a management team with local concert business experience.

"The best example to draw from would be The NorVa," Hollingsworth said, referring to the successful live-music ballroom in downtown Norfolk. "But our mix of music would be a little better than The NorVa's. They have a lot of kid bands. I don't think that works as well for the demographics on this side of the water."

The proposal for a gymnastics center comes from Gymnastics Inc., a business that operates in a more modern -- though less distinctive -- structure on Salters Creek Road in Hampton. Owner Wendy Hylton said her center serves more than 650 students.

Moving to the armory would allow her business to expand and to create a higher profile in the community, she said. Like Hollingsworth's vision, her concept calls for major renovations of the armory's interior.

"I think the main attraction is the building itself," Hylton said. "It's such a cool building, and one that lends itself so perfectly to what we do." The armory's main room already resembles a gymnasium. Hardwood floors are marked for basketball or other games. Huge windows allow natural light to pour in.

Hylton said even the building's National Guard origins make sense for her business. "Those military values of strength, determination and courage -- those are things we teach." She is also eager to make a positive impact on the neighborhood. "The possibilities are really kind of exciting."

Hollingsworth feels the same way. "I haven't heard anybody be negative on our plan," he said. "It would be a pretty good jump-start on that corridor, the whole King Street corridor. That's clearly the direction that Hampton's growth will go." *